The Walking Dead 2
by Mrs. Elena Gilbert-Salvatore
Summary: Sequel to my first story The Walking Dead. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!


The wind blew through my hair as my arms wrapped tightly around Daryl's waist as we sped down the abandoned country roads. Walkers wandered along the sides of the roads looking for a bite to eat or something to just drop dead at their feet. We drove for about five more minutes out of the sight of the walkers when a car behind us honked. Daryl pulled over to the edge of the road and shut the engine to the motorcycle off. Everyone got out of their cars and crowded around the hood of the Nissan as Glenn laid out a map.

"We got no place left to go." T-Dog muttered as we scanned the red markings on the map that signified all the places we've been too and had been overran by walkers.

"When this herd meets up with this herd then we will all be cut off." Maggie stated. "We'll never make it south."

"What do you say?" Daryl asked Glenn. "It's about a hundred and fifty head?"

"That was last week." Glenn answered. "Could be twice that by now."

"This river could have delayed them." Hershel pointed out. "If we move fast, we might have a shot to move right through here."

"Yeah but if that group joins with that one then they could spill out this way." I objected.

"So, we're blocked." Maggie concluded.

"All we have to do is double back to twenty-seven and head towards Greenville." Rick said.

"Yeah but we picked through that already." T-Dog reminded him. "It's like we spent the winter going around in circles."

"Yeah, I know. I know. At noon we'll push west. Haven't been through there yet. We can't keep going house to house. We need to find someplace to hold up for a few weeks."

"Alright. Is it cool if we get to the creek before we head out? It won't take long. We got to feel up on water."

"Knock yourself out."

"Come on, Sutton." Daryl muttered, coming up behind me. "Let's go hunting. That owl didn't exactly hit the spot." I grabbed my bow and quiver from the motorcycle and followed Daryl quietly into the woods.

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We walked silently along some abandoned railroad tracks, both us grazing into the trees on both sides, scanning for any prey. The trees began to open and to the right was a hill that overlooked a prison yard. We stopped and gazed down into it watching the walkers stumble and fall into each other in the yard.

"That's too bad." Daryl mumbled.

"Really?" I questioned him, not taking my eyes off the prison yard. "I see an opportunity. Come on, let's go tell Rick."

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"If we can shut that gate, prevent more from filling the yard, we can pick off these walkers." Rick said as we stood outside the prison fence looking in at the walkers stumbling around in the fresh spring grass. "We'll take the field by tonight."

"I'll do it." Glenn said. "You guys cover me."

"No." Maggie protested. "It's a suicide run."

"I'm the fastest."

"I'm the swiftest." I stated. "I can dodge all those walkers and make it to that gate in no time."

"Over my dead body." Daryl growled behind me and I turned to look at him gazing down at me.

"It's not your choice to make, Daryl."

"No, you, Maggie, and Beth draw as many as you can over there." Rick started to set out the plan. "Pop 'em through the fence. Daryl and Sutton go back to the other tower. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time. We don't have a lot of ammo to waste. Hershel, you and Carl take this tower. I'll run for the gate." The walkers snarled and moaned through the chain-link fence as Daryl and I raced to the tower and took the stairs to the top two at a time.

We opened the door to the top and gazed out over the field. I looked down below as Rick prepared himself to go into the prison yard. As soon as the gate opened, and Rick entered the yard, I started to pick off the walkers one by one with my bow and arrow while Daryl stood by my side with his rifle in hands. I cleared the path in front of Rick out as he made it to the gate and locked it up before running to the nearest guard tower before the walkers could get him.

"Light it up!" Daryl yelled to the others as we picked off the rest of the walkers.

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"Fantastic!" Carol exclaimed as we met up with each other in the middle of the prison yard.

"Nice shooting," Daryl murmured his praise.

"We haven't had this much space since we left the farm." Daryl walked over to me and blatantly wrapped his arms around me and leaned down to press his forehead against me. I smiled involuntarily at his touch.

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We all huddled around a campfire in the middle of the courtyard, the night surrounding us fast and heavy. Daryl was on top of an overturned prisoner bus looking out beyond the fence, watching the perimeter.

"Mm." Glen hummed as he finished the last of his squirrel. "Just like Mom used to make." He tossed the bone across the field. Lori kept her eyes on her husband as he walked around the perimeter checking for weak spots on the fence.

"Tomorrow, we'll put all the bodies together." T-Dog announced. "Want to keep them away from that water. Now, if we can dig a canal under the fence, we'll have plenty of fresh water."

"And this soil is good." Hershel added as he grabbed a handful of dirt and rubbed it between his fingers. "We could plant some seed, grow some tomatoes, cucumbers, soybeans." Hershel dropped the dirt and glanced over at Rick. "That's his third time around. If there was any part of it compromised, he'd found it by now."

"This'll be a good place to have the baby." Beth told Lori and Lori just stared at her with a deadpan expression.

"Bethy, sing Paddy Reilly for me." Beth reluctantly looked away from Lori to her father. "I haven't heard that, I think, since your mother was alive."

"Daddy, not that one, please." Maggie pleaded and Hershel was quiet for a moment as he thought about another song.

"How about The Parting Glass?"

"No one wants to hear." Beth muttered with a little snap to her tone.

"Why not?" Glenn asked.

"Okay." She paused for a second before she opened her mouth again as she began to sing. "Of all the money. E'er I had. I spent it on good company. And all the harm. E'er I've ever done. Alas it was none to me. And all I've done. For want of wit. To memory now I can't recall.

So fill to me. The parting glass. Good night and joy be with you all." Daryl came from the darkness and walked around the group and sat down next to me as Rick slowly began to make his way back to us.

"Oh, all the comrades." Maggie joined in on the song and the sisters continued the song in harmony. "That e'er I had. Were sorry for my going away. And all the sweethearts. That e'er I had." Carl held out a plastic bowl of squirrel to his father as Rick sat down next to him. Would wish me. One more day to stay. . ." Rick held the bowl out to Lori but she shook her head at him.

"I had some." She whispered to him but he kept his arm extended to her until she took a couple pieces from the bowl and nibbled on it.

"But since it falls unto my lot. That I should rise. And you should not. I'll gently rise. And I'll softly call. Good night and joy be with you all. Good night and joy be with you all."

"Beautiful." Hershel breathed as his daughters finished the song.

"Better all turn in." Rick suggested. "I'll take watch over there. We got a big day tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Carl inquired.

"Look, I know we're all exhausted. This was a great win. But we've got to push just a little bit more. Most of the walkers are dressed as guards and prisoners. Looks like this place fell pretty early. It could mean the supplies may be intact. They'd have an infirmary, a commissary."

"An armory?" Daryl questioned him.

"That would be outside the prison itself, but not too far away. Warden's office would have info on the location. Weapons, food, medicine. This place could be a gold mine."

"We're dangerously low on ammo." Hershel informed him. "We'd run out before we make a dent."

"That's why we have to go in there. . . hand to hand. After all we've been through, we can handle it, I know it. These assholes don't stand a chance." Rick stood up and began to walk back to the fence line. Lori slowly got off the ground and followed after Rick. Daryl took off his poncho and draped it over me before pulling me back against his chest where I drifted off to sleep.

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The new day began and we set out to work immediately. Rick formed a plan and got us all in position. Glenn, Rick, T-Dog, Daryl and Maggie went inside to the next courtyard full of walkers as Hershel closed and locked the gate behind them. The rest of us lined up along the fence and tried to get the attention of stray walkers so they didn't all surround the group at once and killed them through the fence as they made their way over to us. The inside group slowly made their way through using only knives and axes as weapons. They moved out of sight as they moved through the walkers and rounded the corner as the prison.

"I can't see them." Lori muttered. "Can you see them?"

"Back there?" Carol said, unsure of her answer. They slowly came back into view with their weapons down at their sides and I sighed in relief. I watched as they made their way up the steps and into the prison. After what seemed like ages as my eyes were glued to the door that Daryl disappeared through, Glenn came back out alone and starting walking towards the gate. My stomach tossed and turned as thoughts coursed through my head on why Daryl wasn't with him.

"It's clear." Glenn said as he unlocked the gate and let us in. While everyone gathered up their things to bring inside, I rushed through the door and into the cell block to find Daryl.

"Daryl?" I called out, my voice bouncing off the bare walls.

"Up here, Sutton." His gravely voice came from above me and I looked up at him as he peered down at me over the railing of the second floor. I sighed in relief. The rest of the group piled into the cell block as Daryl and Rick dropped the bodies of the corpses over the railing from the second floor.

"What do you think?" Rick asked as he made his way back down to the first floor.

"Home sweet home." Glenn muttered as he walked over to a cell to drop off some blankets.

"For the time being."

"It's secure?" Lori asked, looking around.

"This cellblock is."

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel inquired.

"In the morning, we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary."

"We sleep in the cells?" Beth questioned Rick, sounding astonished.

"I found keys on some guards. Daryl has a set, too."

"I ain't sleeping in no cage." Daryl growled. "I'll take the perch." He started walking over to the ledge but stopped and looked over the railing at me again. "Is that okay with you?" I smiled involuntarily.

"I'm good with whatever you choose, Daryl." I replied and he proceeded to our new sleeping quarters as did the rest of the group. I trudged up the stairs to where Daryl was laying out some blankets and pillows off to the side of the landing and plopped down on top of them, setting his crossbow next to him. "Tired?" He closed his eyes and hummed his response. I laid next to him and inhaled deeply and sighed. I hope this place will last for a while and we can all get some much-needed rest.


End file.
